Archive for July, 2008

23
Jul

Never Ending Vacation

   Posted by: Katy    in Musings, family, food

So it feels like I’ve been on a vacation since June 4th when we drove out of St. Louis. Since we’ve been in California we’ve been bunking in a relative’s pool house. We’re being spoiled silly and I’m not about to complain.

What a sweet treat after all the hurdles graduate school sent our way: Eric’s cancer, a close friend’s electrocution/death, unfulfilling work environment for the first 2 years for me, a broken arm, a car wreck and back pain that continues until today, our two-year-old cat dying in front of us–even with Eric’s kitty CPR–for some undiagnosed reason, Papa’s death, MIL’s melanoma, other Papa’s fall off a ten-foot extension ladder, all our buddies leaving for their internships last fall, etc. 

That is not to say we didn’t have some great times in graduate school. Our Tuesday night brewery church group–miss y’all, adopting two great new kitties, volunteering to help other kittens get adopted, 3 Team in Training events raising over $13,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!!!, finding a great job in the fashion industry, never needing to borrow money for medical bills or other bills–thanks to everyone for al y’all’s generosity, Eric’s “remission” (he’ll never be cured, but his levels are undetectable at the moment), the city itself-Grant’s Farm, Farmer’s Market,  the zoo, wineries close by, our upstairs neighbor and her dog Junior–Scotch’s crush, countless trips to CA (4 I think), Sasha’s Wine Bar, $3 buck chuck, etc.

This is culminating in my one “issue” with vacations. I eat whatever I want. My triathlon was right before we left. After that working out has been sparse. My clothes still seem to fit, but man do I feel it. Like I’m doing laundry and wearing my hubby’s shorts. Shorts that would probably be easy to pants him and they are fitting a little tighter than that on me! Thankfully, I have gym access and have been able to work out a bit the last two weeks!

I’m not sure what my next “event” will be. There is a Napa Valley Marathon in March which looks beautiful. Also, as part of the Big Sur Marathon is this 6 mile Mud Run. Watch the video and tell me that doesn’t look awesome. For now, I feel like yoga is a great focus. I was just gifted a new mat–since ours in on a truck somewhere in Oakland and it is great. Even my sweaty hands and feet don’t slip! 

Since we’re talking about vacations, let’s talk about work. As in, I’m unemployed. I’m more worried about what other people think and how the lapse will look on my resume than I am about a job right now. We only have one car, and we live 30-35 miles south of where our apartment is, so any commute would quite possibly be killer. That being said, how do I respond when the umpteenth parishioner asks me about my job hunt? I know they mean well, and we don’t know each other yet, so there isn’t much else to talk about, but still… It makes me feel awkward about being so okay with my unemployment. Probably because in the past, I took some jobs that were pretty terrible because I HAD to work, and now that Eric’s being paid, I’m taking my time to find a job I really want.

So there you have it. My never-ending vacation still has no end in sight, and I’m quite okay with that!

Peace,

Katy

So, I’ve been watching a fair amount of TV lately. TV has never really been that exciting partially because I’ve never had cable. But HGTV is worse than any drug. I watch a show that convinces me I could remove the tile in our new kitchen and re-purpose it as a concrete counter. Did I mention we’re renting and I’ll not be allowed to do that? Still it is fun to dream. We visited the house yesterday. It is fabulous. The bathrooms are so 50s. Bright bubblegum blue tile in the studio and chartreuse and Kelly green in the main house. We love it! It is huge too! Eric’s called dibs on one of the bedrooms to use as a photo studio. It’ll be fun to see it with our furniture and things.

I’ve been working out a bit with my aunt at her gym. I never knew workout equipment could come with a built-in fan and TV. Is it weird I watch HGTV to work out? See–I’m totally addicted. I don’t think any of the gyms I’ve been a part of are that shabby, but I’m beginning to wonder… If only I could get up early enough to beat the heat and get a few runs in. I am so intimidated to get out on my bike and ride the hills around here. They are crazy! Currently, Eric’s brother and a classmate are using my bike to ride in Southern California. They did a few rides up north and confirmed it was very difficult. 

I was at a job interview yesterday. I really like the company and the position–but a few of the interviewees asked me what it is I want to do with my life, and I just don’t know. It feels like I have a million and one options, but I just don’t know. For so much of the last few years, I’ve been in survival mode. Eric and I got engaged spring semester of my senior year. We didn’t start dating until the Thanksgiving before. One minute I was planning on moving to NYC and working in the industry and then bam–I met a great guy. So I thought maybe I’d get an MBA–without finanacial aid it was too scary for me to commit. As each road block came up I stopped being offensive and planning and began to be really defensive. Eventually life was all–Get hubby through school. Deal with hubby’s cancer diagnosis. Provide health insurance ($3000 monthly chemo without insurance is crazy).

So I share all that to say, I’m ready to be in the driver’s seat again. 

Peace,

Katy ^_^

 

4
Jul

Home, Sweet Home

   Posted by: Katy    in Uncategorized

We found a place to live! I haven’t even seen it–I saw the outside sorta today. We are so excited we found a place to call our own. It has a reasonable rent (it is 3x what we paid in St. Louis, but that is really good for California), is in a safe neighborhood, is close to Eric’s job, and has a studio in the backyard for my sewing room!! I’m super excited. I have my camera and plan on taking photos, but I think the cable is packed. Go figure.

Things are starting to fall into place. God is good!

Peace,

Katy ^_^